The dark nights are drawing in and we’re waking up to frost on the car – winter is officially upon us! Winter can be an expensive time of year, and we find ourselves spending more money each month not only on Christmas presents and celebrations but also on the energy we use in our homes, especially for heating and electricity. We often forget just how cold it can get in winter, especially after experiencing a long and very hot summer like we’ve been fortunate enough to have this year. Here at Savoy Timber we’ve come up with some top tips on how to winter-proof your home, so that you can better ward off those winter chills!
It goes without saying that it’s wise in winter to keep your windows closed. That being said, keeping your windows closed doesn’t always mean that you’re restricting draughts from outside. It’s important to address any small cracks or thinning patches in the seals around your windows, as something as simple as this can make quite a difference to the temperature of a room.
Keeping your curtains closed when the sun goes down will also help to prevent draughts from coming into your home via your windows. If you’re handy with a sewing machine, it might also be a good idea to line your curtains – the thicker the fabric, the better! However, you should try to keep your curtains open on days that are sunny, as heat from the sun should keep your rooms warm during the day.
A lot of heat can be lost if you have radiators on the external walls of your home, causing you to use more energy and spend more money than you may necessarily need to. A great way to prevent heat loss through your external walls is to cover your radiators in aluminium foil, which will encourage the heat to be reflected back into the room.
Other ways to make your radiators more efficient include bleeding them regularly and making sure that no furniture is placed in front of them to absorb the heat. You might even consider fitting a shelf above a radiator, which will control the channel of heat and direct it back into the room instead of allowing it to be absorbed into the ceiling.
Perhaps another common sense tip, but keeping your internal doors closed will help to prevent draughts from breezing around your home. Remembering to keep all internal doors closed will also allow you to keep the heating turned off in the rooms you’re not using, saving you money without allowing the cold to spread to other rooms of the house.
As you would with your windows, it’s a good idea to check for any sizeable gaps in the frames of your doors, making efforts to seal them if you notice a draught or if you believe your rooms aren’t staying warm for as long as they should be. To plug the gap you could try using insulating strips or even pieces of blanket if you’re on a budget.
Draught excluders are a winter essential, and are a brilliant, inexpensive method of keeping the heat inside your house. You might also want to try blocking draughts from keyholes, cat flaps and letter boxes – you may be surprised at the difference small touches like this can make!
We don’t believe that one style of door can be more effectively winter-proofed than another – the tips we’ve provided should work equally well whether you have oak doors or walnut doors in your home. If you’re considering replacing your internal doors to update the look of your interior, head over to the section for internal doors on our website, where you will be sure to find a style suited to your tastes.